China News Service, March 30th, a comprehensive report, on the 29th local time, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations ended the first day of negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey.
The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on security and other issues, and said that the talks had made "substantial" progress, but Europe and the United States expressed a "cautious attitude" in this regard.
On March 29, local time, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations started a new round of face-to-face negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey.
The picture shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking before the talks.
Great progress, what did the 5-hour negotiation say?
Negotiations have made "the most meaningful progress so far", Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said of the new round of talks held by Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
On the same day, the head of the Russian delegation and assistant to the Russian President, Mekinsky, and Alahamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation and the chairman of the parliamentary group of the Ukrainian People's Servant Party, had a one-on-one negotiation for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Negotiations took about 4 hours.
Mezynski said that the negotiations between the two sides are very constructive, and that the Russian side is studying the Ukrainian side's proposal, and the relevant information will be reported to President Vladimir Putin.
He said that Russia has received written proposals from Ukraine, which mainly include:
· Ukraine will confirm that it will become a permanently neutral and non-nuclear state under the protection of international law, and will renounce the establishment of foreign military bases and foreign troops on its territory.
· Ukraine must not hold military exercises without consultation with Russia and security countries.
Russia must not oppose Ukraine's accession to the European Union, etc.
Russia said it was taking both military and political steps to de-escalate the conflict with Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense decided to significantly reduce military activities in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv in order to strengthen mutual trust, create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, and achieve the ultimate goal of coordination and signing the above-mentioned agreement.
At the briefing held after the meeting, Podoljak, adviser to the chief of the office of the Ukrainian president, said, "The two sides are currently conducting in-depth consultations on several important issues. The key is to reach an agreement on Ukraine's international security guarantee agreement." He also said, The second issue currently under discussion is a ceasefire in order to resolve humanitarian issues.
On March 29, local time, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations started a new round of face-to-face negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey.
The negotiation process continues, when will the leaders' talks be held?
Both Russia and Ukraine said on the same day that they would continue the negotiation process with each other.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video speech late on the 29th that positive signals were released during the negotiations, but Ukraine did not believe in Russia's commitment, only the specific results of the talks.
In addition, both Russia and Ukraine mentioned the issue of the presidential talks.
Podoljak said that the relevant basic documents have been prepared and that the two presidents should hold talks as soon as possible.
Meginsky suggested that Putin's meeting with Zelensky could coincide with the initial signing of a peace treaty between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
He said that if the two sides move quickly and reach a consensus on the signing of the treaty, peace will come sooner.
Europe and the United States are cautious: the priority is a ceasefire
The current round of contacts between Russia and Ukraine has drawn widespread attention from the international community.
In Europe, France and Germany warned against hasty action against Russia, stressing that the first priority is a ceasefire, so words or actions cannot make the situation worse.
U.S. President Joe Biden and some other U.S. officials expressed an "extremely cautious" attitude regarding Russia's previous announcement to significantly reduce its military activities in Kyiv and Chernihiv, Ukraine.
Biden said, "We will wait and see if they comply," and he will observe whether the Russian side implements the recommendations made.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said that he did not see any signs of "advancement" in the talks between Russia and Ukraine, and the U.S. did not see Russia's intention to "take the negotiations seriously".